• We Bring the Sun | With Etiquette

    We Bring the Sun | With Etiquette

    4AM, the alarms were going off. We clumsily got ourselves together, fumbling around to pack everything up. 4:30, We walked through the hotel, noting scantily clad women draping themselves over happy men, still living in yesterday. We cut through the brisk dark air as we walked down the Vegas Strip. Deserted. Just past 5AM, we…

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  • To My Mother

    To My Mother

    This is to you, the girl who grew up the third of eight girls, no boys, who took care of your younger sisters from childhood as everyone pitched in to raise one another. You never had your own things, perpetually trapped with hand-me-downs and handing things down. And so as a woman you turned around…

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  • Connie & Tony’s Wedding | Temple City & Alhambra, California

    Connie & Tony’s Wedding | Temple City & Alhambra, California

    You might not see the silly side of them right away, poised as they are as the lawyer and the police officer. But give it just a little bit of time and the right conditions, and their playfulness comes right through. They’ll laugh together and be goofy together, but they’ll also cry together and they…

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  • Sun & Elliot | Sutro Baths | San Francisco Lifestyle Photography

    Sun & Elliot | Sutro Baths | San Francisco Lifestyle Photography

    I can tell you all about how generous and kind Elliot is. I live with him, though we both travel frequently and he works so much that we joke about taking turns living at our place. I can also tell you about how sincere and engaging Sun is, despite having met her only twice. It’s…

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  • Inspiration | Vulnerable

    Inspiration | Vulnerable

    So often, vulnerability is a weakness we strive to overcome. But he recognized it as something more. We were driving from Duke to the South Carolina shore in that blissful week between finals and the seniors’ graduation on to the real world. We had never really spoken before, but our conversation flowed as if we…

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  • Inspiration | Staying in Awe | Duke Chapel

    Inspiration | Staying in Awe | Duke Chapel

    Most people probably see it from a distance as they drive up the long road. The trees stand along both sides as if lining a red carpet path to its front steps. But we didn’t see any of that. Our driver checked in on his radio, getting confirmation on our drop-off… Something back route, something…

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  • Inspiration | San Francisco Vignettes

    Inspiration | San Francisco Vignettes

    Yesterday: One stop after the airport, a family boarded the BART train. One mother with three girls, the youngest of whom sat grinning in her stroller.  “Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco. Uno dos tres, cuatro, cinco!” The mother counted the little girl’s fingers and toes, much to her delight. The two older girls looked out…

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  • Magali & Sam | San Francisco Engagement Photography

    Magali & Sam | San Francisco Engagement Photography

    It’s so easy to fall in love with these two. They seem like such beautiful old souls, like they’ve already been together a lifetime. They fall into step and interact with a simple ease. Soulmates. We met at Magali and Sam’s building in downtown San Francisco, and we kicked off their session on their awesome…

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  • Pre-Wedding Checklist | Photography Workflow

    Pre-Wedding Checklist | Photography Workflow

    I don’t think I will ever stop getting pre-wedding jitters or being anxious the day before a wedding. But it’s a good kind of nervousness that reflects the weight of responsibility on my role as a photographer, and I think it aptly keeps me in line. It matters to me that I don’t screw up,…

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